James Lee Musil

James Lee Musil, age 35, of Farwell, tragically passed away on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City following a mountain bike accident. He was born the son of Tony J and Janice (Kanie) Musil on July 6, 1987, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He married his soul mate and his best friend, Stephanie Olson on December 12, 2020 after 15 years together. James was a Mountain Bike Racer by trade and was a member of the mountain bike community. His goal was to race professionally with the aspiration of international competition. He loved to compete in the Lake Superior Gravity Series, Enduro and Cross-Country bike races. He was also a devoted “parent” to his and Stephanie’s five dogs Sonoma May, Lexi Lou, Caddie Bug/Peanut, Dasher Boy, and Rosie Bear. James had a thirst for life and always strived to live life to the brightest and fullest. He always wanted to better himself and push himself to the highest measures possible. His smile would light up a room and his laughter was contagious. He was a wonderful friend for others and lead by example that no matter what, if you put your head down and do the work you can come out on top. The biking community was his life’s passion; you could see the sparkle in his eyes whenever he would talk about it. You could always find him at Motorless Motion in Mount Pleasant, as well as Crystal Mountain or out on another trail somewhere doing what he loved to do. He loved helping other racers push themselves to be better, to ride faster and harder, and although he pushed others, in doing so it helped him improve his racing technique. The races that James accomplished included: the Rust Shaker at MidMichigan Community College, Marquette Trails Fest, 8 hours Jailhouse Trail at Ithaca (team event), Miners Revenge, Crystal Mountain, DTE, Copper Harbor Trails Fest, and Marquette Fall Enduro. James is survived by his wife, Stephanie, his mother, Janice Lynch, his brother Jeremy (Carissa) Lynch, his mother and father-in-law, Laurie and Dan Shively, his brother-in-law Aaron (Elli) Olson, his sister-in-law Cristie (Allen) McClellan, his aunt Vicki as well as multiple other aunts/uncles and cousins. James is preceded in death by his father, Tony, his grandmother Shirley Acker Natzel, his aunt Debbie Musil, his father-in-law Mark Olson and his first fur baby, Sonoma May. In keeping with James’s wishes a James Musil Memorial Foundation will be established which will focus on helping the racing community, along with sponsoring an annual race. A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 1:00 pm at the Jackson Street Chapel, 504 Jackson Street, Clare, Michigan, with Mr. Ray Wright officiating. There will be a time to visit and celebrate his life with his family following the service with the help of The Brass Café (his favorite place to eat) at the chapel. His final resting place will be in the Vernon Twp. Cemetery, where he will be buried at a later date.

James Lee Musil

July 6, 1987 - October 15, 2022